This wikiHow teaches you how to send a reply to an email you received. This is possible on essentially every email provider, but common email services include Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, and Apple Mail, both for desktop users and mobile users.

Steps

Method1

Gmail on Desktop

1

Open the Gmail website. Go to https://www.gmail.com/. This will open your Gmail inbox if you're already logged into Gmail on your computer.

If you aren't already logged into Gmail, enter your Gmail email address and password before continuing.

2

Select an email. Click on the email to which you want to respond. This will open it.

3

Click the "Reply" arrow. It's in the top-right corner of the email. This will bring up a field where you can type in your reply to the specific person who sent the email.

If you want to reply to everyone in a group email, instead click ▼ to the right of Reply, then click Reply to all in the drop-down menu.

4

Enter your reply. Type in the response you want to send to the recipient(s).

5

Click Send. It's a blue button below the bottom-left side of the reply field. Doing so will send the email to the person (or people) in the original email.

Method2

Gmail on Mobile

1

Open Gmail. Tap the Gmail app icon, which resembles a red "M" on a white envelope, to open your Gmail inbox.

If you aren't signed into Gmail, first enter your email address and password.

2

Select an email. Tap an email that you want to respond to. The email will open.

3

Scroll down and tap Reply or Reply all. Both options are at the bottom of the page. Tapping the Reply arrow will respond to the last person to send an email, while tapping Reply all will send your response to everyone in the email conversation.

You won't see Reply all if the email is only between you and the sender.

4

Tap the top of the email reply section. It's directly below the email's subject line, which is near the top of the screen. Your phone's keyboard will appear.

5

Enter your response. Type in the reply that you want to send to the person or people in the conversation.

6

Tap the "Send" arrow. It resembles a blue paper airplane in the top-right corner of the screen. Doing so will send your response.

If you've recently logged into iCloud on your browser, you may not have to sign in.

3

Click Mail. It's a blue icon with a white envelope on it. This will open your iCloud inbox.

4

Select an email. Click the email to which you want to reply. Doing so opens the email on the right side of the iCloud window.

5

Click the "Reply" arrow. It's above the top-left corner of the email you opened. Clicking it prompts a drop-down menu.

6

Click Reply or Reply All. Both options are in the drop-down menu. Selecting Reply will send your response only to the last person to send an email in the conversation, while Reply All will respond to all members of the conversation. A new window will open for your response.

7

Enter your reply. Type in the response you want to send to the recipient(s).

8

Click Send. It's in the top-right corner of the email window. Doing so will send your response to the person (or people) in the original conversation.

Method8

Apple Mail on iPhone

1

Open Apple Mail. Tap the Apple Mail icon, which resembles a white envelope on a light-blue background. This will open your Apple Mail app.

2

Tap Inbox. It's near the top of the Mail page. Doing so opens your inbox.

If your Mail opens to the inbox, skip this step.

If you have multiple inboxes attached to the Mail app, you may need to tap the "Back" arrow in the top-left side of the screen and then scroll to the inbox that holds the email you want to open.

3

Select an email. Tap the email you want to respond to. This will open the email.

4

Tap the "Reply" arrow. It's the backward-facing arrow at the bottom of the screen. A pop-up menu will appear.

5

Tap Reply or Reply All. Both are options in the pop-up menu. Tapping Reply will respond to the sender of the email, while tapping Reply All will reply to all people in the email conversation.

6

Enter your response. Type in your response to the email.

7

Tap Send. It's in the top-right corner of the screen. This will send your response.

If I get a questionnaire in an email, can I answer each question on the screen without printing it on paper and then scan it?

Community Answer

Most likely, yes. You can copy and paste the questions by using your mouse to highlight the entire questionnaire. Next, press the right button of your mouse or keypad, a box with options should appear, click "copy." You can then paste the questions in your return email, using the same steps, the only thing different is you press "paste." Now you don't have to write the questions and can just type your reply in the email. You can use your mouse or the arrow keys to tell the laptop when you want to begin typing.

Tips

On most email sites and apps, there is a bar near the top of the email with a list of recipient names. You can usually tap or click this field to select it, allowing you to remove certain recipients after selecting Reply all.

Warnings

Unnecessarily replying to everyone in an email thread is generally frowned upon. Unless you have to address everybody at once, replying specifically to the person with whom you need to communicate will usually be sufficient.